| Lovely
Lincoln, the doggy volunteer |
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| Miniature
daschund PAT dog Lincoln with human Sharon Bamford |
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Mini
daschund Lincoln volunteers with the Pets as Therapy charity and knows
how to bring a smile to the faces of patients in hospital.
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Lincoln visits Chorley Hospital twice a week where he
walks the wards, receives abundant strokes and even gets
to sit on patients beds. He likes coming to the hospital
and knows where he is going as soon as he puts his special
yellow Pets as Therapy jacket on.
He
is a regular on the Belmont Day Unit which caters for
older patients, on the Children's Ward and also on the
Rehabilitation Ward - but will happily visit other patients
on request.
Owner
Sharon Bamford has been bringing him to the hospital
for over a year and is now involved in training other
PAT dogs. She is studying Animal Psychology at Myerscough
College and loves volunteering at the Hospital - "It's
very rewarding - hospitals can be very daunting but
Lincoln always brings a smile to people's faces. I love
animals and am really interested in what they can provide
to people in a vulnerable situation."
Website
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local hospital is always looking for volunteersÂ…. |
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The NHS would be unable to provide the Healthcare that
it does without the help of unpaid volunteers in hospitals
and in the community.
An
astonishing number of volunteers - more than 700 - work
between Chorley and Royal Preston Hospitals. Some belong
to organizations like the WRVS or the Red Cross but
others are independent volunteers. They do all sorts
of things - from meeting and greeting and manning the
tea trolley to befriending patients, writing their letters
or changing their flowers. Others work in Hospital Radio.
One
volunteer talks of how befriending patients restored
her confidence after being unemployed. Now she has a
job with the NHS.
Another
Chorley volunteer works for the Red Cross and administers
manicures and shoulder massage to patients. She enjoys
her work so much that she even came in on Christmas
Day.
If
you'd like to volunteer at your local hospital call
the Â鶹Éç Radio Lancashire Action Line for contact details
on 0845 305 9000.
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Â鶹Éç Lancashire
Darwen Street
Blackburn
Lancashire, BB2 2EA
Tel: 01254 262411
Txt: 07786 201955
E-mail: lancashire@bbc.co.uk
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